Celtic return to winning ways

NPL Premier Division: Mickleover 1-3 Stalybridge Celtic

Two goals in a minute secured the win for Celtic with the majority of the action in the first half.

Five minutes into the game, Mickleover had to alter their game plan when Mason Warren brought down Marcus Dackers in the box with a clumsy trip. Dackers took the spot-kick himself, sending Callum Hawkins the wrong way. 

It forced the home side into trying to break down Celtic, but it was the visitors making the majority of the chances. Stephen Brogan’s free kick was awkward for Hawkins, but he kept his side in the match as he did again twenty-five minutes into the game with a flying one-handed save for a corner that Connor O’Grady nodded over the bar. It was Brogan again just past the half hour mark, a low drive requiring the big presence of Mills to deny him on the line. 

The pressure told when Josh Dawodu overlapped Justin Johnson and whipped in a great ball to the far post. Dackers nodded a looping header over Hawkins to give Celtic a cushion. 

A minute later and it was three. Justin Johnson again involved, this time with a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Jake Burton who provided the cool finish. 

Mickleover had been playing well, probably feeling aggrieved they were three goals down. Their persistence paid off, as Jake Bennett found Andrew Wright, who fired in just before the interval to give the home side hope in the second half. 

Chances in the second half were few and far between. Andrew Dales saw his effort denied by a flying save from Will Huffer and Huffer made a good stop to deny Adam Haw’s header from a free kick. At the other end, Brogan’s cheeky corner clipped the top of the crossbar, whilst Johnson saw a fierce drive pushed around the post. It was a niggly half, but Celtic held firm and took three points off Mickleover for the first time in half a dozen attempts.